Santa Margarita High School secured a 14-7 victory over Mater Dei on Friday night in the Trinity League opener at Saddleback College, improving the Eagles’ record to 6-0. The win underscored the strength of Santa Margarita’s special teams, which coach Carson Palmer identified as the team’s strongest unit despite solid performances by both offense and defense.
Junior free safety Jake Martin played a pivotal role in preserving the win, effectively blocking two field goal attempts by Mater Dei. The first deflection came late in the first half, preventing Mater Dei from gaining the lead and keeping the score tied at 7-7. Martin then applied pressure in the fourth quarter that led to a second missed field goal, helping maintain the Eagles’ seven-point advantage.
“We’re unbreakable,” Martin said after the game. “We’re trying to go back-to-back. This is the team that’s going to do it.”
The Santa Margarita defense held Mater Dei to just seven points while recording seven sacks. Freshman safety Jayden Jack clinched the victory by intercepting a last-ditch pass from Mater Dei’s freshman quarterback Paytyn Guess in the end zone during the Monarchs’ final drive. Sophomore defensive lineman Kingston Jimmerson also contributed a key sack in stalling the visitors’ momentum late in the game.
Despite the loss, Guess showed promise in his first start for Mater Dei. The freshman completed 16 of 22 passes for 163 yards, though he threw one interception and was unable to lead his team to a scoring drive in the closing moments. Mater Dei head coach Raul Lara noted the growing pains of having a young quarterback adjust to the program, emphasizing the importance of execution. “When we have the opportunity to make a play, we need to make that play and take advantage of it,” he said.
Mater Dei’s offense struggled with consistency, which frustrated Lara, but their defensive line managed to contain Santa Margarita’s standout sophomore running back Adrian Petero to 41 yards on 11 carries, despite Petero scoring the first touchdown of the game.
On offense, Santa Margarita junior quarterback Fletch Palmer—son of coach Carson Palmer—completed 65% of his passes for 155 yards. His most significant contribution was a six-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Grant Van Raaphorst in the third quarter, which proved to be the decisive score.
Mater Dei sophomore running back Asir Nembhard scored the game’s other touchdown, giving the Monarchs a brief lead in the first quarter.
Coach Carson Palmer, a former NFL quarterback, stressed the importance of maintaining focus throughout a demanding schedule like the Trinity League’s. “We’ve got a target on our back after last year, and we know that,” he said. “We know that we are highlighted on other teams’ schedules.” He also pointed to room for improvement across all phases of the game, signaling strength and resilience as Santa Margarita aims to defend its CIF Open Division state championship title.